Facebook post boasts of gay hate crimes in Civic

Michael Inman

The administrator of a confessional webpage is unrepentant after publishing the offensive boasts of a Canberra man who said he had committed hate crimes against gay men in Civic.

Facebook page Canberra Confessions published an anonymous post from a Canberran who claimed he had met gay men in Cube nightclub in order to lure them outside and bash them.

The confession said the man faked his sexuality to set the trap and then robbed his victims after the assault.

The author bragged he had assaulted three men already and planned to continue the practice.

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"Will keep doin [sic] it until the dirty c---- are eradicated from our streets," he wrote. The post received about 32 likes and 79 comments, both in support and against, in the three hours it was online.

The page administrator confirmed to Fairfax Media that the post was removed by Facebook because it did not comply with the social network's standards.

At least one concerned Facebook user reported the post to police.

But a spokesman for ACT Policing said: "Given the information provided, police are unable to establish the veracity of this material. Anyone who has been a victim of crime is encouraged to report it to ACT Policing." Cube nightclub said it was unaware of any incidents matching the modus operandi described in the post.

But a spokesman for the Canberra gay community said he knew of a young man bashed in circumstances eerily similar to the boasts on the post.

Diversity ACT president Ian Goudie said he knew of another man attacked after leaving the gay nightspot.

Mr Goudie said homophobia was still common in the capital, despite its progressive stance on marriage equality.

"We set up a [helpline] in August and we have already had 140 calls for help to that number," Mr Goudie said.

"I can guarantee that every day a heterosexual will persecute a homosexual verbally or physically in the ACT."

Despite the outrage, the Canberra Confessions administrator, who wished to remain anonymous, told Fairfax Media the page would continue to publish all admissions uncensored.

"All confessions will be published regardless of entertainment value, moral fibre, political correctness or otherwise," Canberra Confessions wrote.

"I do not condone or support anything that is posted, I just run the page.

"The goal of CC is to provide a platform for people from Canberra to get anything off their mind that they might not feel comfortable telling anybody else, whilst remaining totally anonymous."

The page was started last Monday and had already attracted more than 70 confessions and 1500 "likes".

The administrator said the identities of confessors would not be revealed, "under any circumstance."

2 comments so far

Couldn't be an easier job for the cops, get the names of the haters, arrest the lot. Prosecute them, release the names and then we can sue them. Simple.

Commenter

evanism

Date and time

January 13, 2013, 10:11AM

Its an appalling page. I have stayed "liked" on it as I am a small business owner ho has been a victim of crime and a stepmother to a 13 and a 14 year old. im keeping an eye on my area and hoping the kids dont get a mention. The admissions are horrifying some of them, cruelty to animals, rape of young girls and violence, not to mention the language used, If these confessions are false Im horrified that anyone can even dream up these stories. If they are true God help us all. Either way its a very sad world we are living in.

All along ive thought the cops should set a page up like this and just stand there with a net!